INSIGHTS

Born in Holland and originally bearing the name Aura, the later re-baptized Lemur Voice was a creative quintet that made an excellent, renewing statement in the prog metal scene back in the mid 90s. "Insights" is the result of the fluid combination of rocking energy, cleverly articulated interplaying, exquisite keyboard orchestrations and genuine passion. One major influence in 1992-4 Dream Theater (as it happened with many other 90s prog metal acts), but LV goes beyond that and implements some other influences: neo-prog (fresh vibe and eerie keyboard layers), lots of jazz-rock elements in the rhythm duo's input, old fashioned symphonic melodic sensibility. While bearing such an amount of recognizable musical features, the final result ends up being sufficiently original as to show the band as a talented bunch of writers and not mere copycat of the bands they look up to. The lead vocalist's style and timber sound to me like Tate-meets-Hogarth, while the keyboardist, due to his well crafted harmonies and orchestrated layers, functions as the referential focus around which his instrumentalist companions revolve. The interaction between Coenen and Faber's leads is spectacular, and so is the precision that Tromp ven der Loo use when articulating the complex rhythm patterns in their jazz-tinged manner (as I mentioned before) - great performances for (generally) great compositions and inventive arrangements. The opener is catchy but a bit overlong, since the main motif is not as impressive as many others that will consecutively appear and the performances don't portray the level of energy these guys usually have. Track 2 is the first one to show a hint of the band's strong points: the instrumental 'Akasha Chronicles' is an amazing example of how a band can have its individual members interplay in a delicately integrated set of diverse musical ideas. Awesome. Also the sequence of tracks 3 and 4 is quire impressive to me. 'Celestial Haze' is a beautiful nocturne delivered on piano over eerie string synth layers and vocal adornments added near the end. 'Deep Inside' is a 9+ minute piece that shows LV building a bridge between neo and prog metal and making a statement of meditative introspectiveness from that position - somewhere in the last half a part of 'Celestial Haze' reappears in order to widen the melancholy vibration of the song. 'Alone' is another long track that is quite similar in spirit to 'Celestial Haze', albeit 'Alone' feels more dramatic since its mood and motif shifts feel more intense; besides, this time it is the dual acoustic guitars that take center stage for the softer parts. Among the not-so-long tracks, my personal fave is 'Prime of Passion': the polished ability that Tromp shows for his complex bass lines ands arpeggios is simply awesome, a major asset for this particular song's greatness. 'More of Nothing' and 'Memory Lane' are also great (especially the former, which continues to explore the band's reflective side), although they're not as stunning as 3-4 (I see them as a unit), 6 & 7. All in all, "Insights" is one of those 90s prog metal gems that, hopefully, will not get buried in the past despite the fact that the band broke up after the release of their second album.

I've read the same comment so many times when it comes to speak about various prog- metal bands: "oh, this band is just a Dream Theater clone", "another one of the endless herd of DT clones", and as much as I tried, I never could find that one album that truly made me believe the same experiment that generated Dolly the Sheep was repeated with the New York band.

That is, of course, until I heard the voice of a lemur, disguised as a prog-metal band.

I have a serious problem with Lemur Voice: it sounds too much like DT, like AWAKE-era DT, to be precise. The cloning accusations really are on target this time, and I've begun some research to find out how someone got ahold of DT's ADN and used it to create this group.

The band Lemur Voice is no more, it has ceased to exist long ago. So there would be no point in me worrying about future releases. But, in case you're interested in buying this cd, I'll say a few words about the music.

This is really a copy/paste exercise. The musicians are very capable, and can surely play their instruments with skill and virtuosity. The problem is that the music itself is not that interesting. As I said before, it's very much reminiscent of AWAKE, but without the inspiration, the melodies, the energy, and, less than everything, without the originality of that legendary release. Even though the songs aren't that bad, there's nothing new to listen to here. It also lacks punch; it's like the musicians are playing trying to emulate their favorite band but without even leaving his heart on the floor for that, without breaking a sweat, they seem like they were playing by inertia. And the singer? Well, he's just not good. His voice sounds like if Fates Warning's Ray Alder had suddenly lost 10 years and also 10 pints of blood, as the delivery is bland, monotonous, bleak, lineal. Completely fuel-less.

About the songs, all sound about the same. The first track is the better one with vocals, and for sure the second one (the instrumental "Akasha Chronicles") is the best in the album. Actually, if they had recorded a purely instrumental album with more tracks like that one, it would have been a pleasant experience and worthy of maybe 3 or 4 stars. But, as it is, this tracks barely saves the album from 1 star status.

If you want prog-metal that has a little of Dream Theater but also a lot of originallity, try Redemption, try Vanden Plas.

Stay away from the Lemur.

Recommended for: Ultra-hardcore fans of DT that want ALL of their music to sound almost exactly like DT. Fans of prog-metal that don't mind the lack of originality.

Not recommended for: Those looking for a novel prog-metal experience; those looking for an entertaining album; but most of all...

...fans of DT. You should know there's only one DT. As there should be only ONE of each great band.

By mid 90's the progressive metal scene was becoming larger and larger, a new prog sound was on its way.LEMUR VOICE were another band that tried to earn some fame and space in the prog metal map.In 1996 the band from the Netherlands managed to released their debut album entitled ''Insights''.

Actually this is a really strong debut.It wouldn't be an excess if I called them a DREAM THEATER clone.But the musicianship is very decent,the atmosphere of the album is really in prog fields and the songs are well arranged.Unfortunately,lacking in originality,the band plays in a similar style like DREAM THEATER as we know them through albums like ''Awake'' or ''Images and words''.A more personal style would raise the musical price of this album really high.I also recognize some influences from Dutch fellows ELEGY in the power metal moments of the band.The epic track of this work ''Alone'' contains also hints from SIEGES EVEN or SOUL CAGES in the atmospheric breaks,nice addition.The vocals of Gregoor Van Der Loo are also decent without being something spectacular.

Don't expect something grounbreaking or oringinal by buying this album.However the musicianship is excellent and searching for this CD worths the cost.If you are looking for progressive metal of the DREAM THEATER school of prog,this one fits well in your desires.Recommended!

"Insights" is the debut full-length studio album by Dutch progressive metal act Lemur Voice. The album was released through Magna Carta Records in 1996. Lemur Voice was formed in 1993 under the Aura monicker but soon changed their name to Lemur Voice.

The music on the album is "classic" 90s progressive metal highly influenced by Dream Theater. I hear a few nods towards 90s Fates Warning, and the more rock oriented sound of Enchant too, but it is Dream Theater I'm reminded of most often during the 8 track, 56:57 minutes long album.

The music is generally very keyboard heavy, but also features some very intricate rhythmic playing (tempo- and time signature changes are played with natural ease), heavy riffs and melodic solos, and a high pitched lead vocalist in Gregoor van der Loo. The music is very dynamic with both heavy rhytmically complex chugging sections, and more subtle piano/vocal sections, and longer instrumental sections. The band are very well playing and Gregoor van der Loo is a relatively skilled singer too. His vocal melodies aren't that memorable though, and even though the music on "Insights" is very melodic in nature, it actually features very few memorable hooks.

"Insights" is relatively well produced, but the longer you get into the album the less interesting the sound becomes. I'm not sure what it is, but it's like the production at times lacks a bit of punch and the whole thing comes off as a little too polished and nice.

Upon conclusion "Insights" is a hard album to rate fairly. On the surface it's easily a 4 star (80%) rating, because of the professionalism on display. The compositions, the musicianship, and the sound production are all features of a relatively high quality, but when you dig a bit deeper, the music is actually a bit more shallow than what initial impressions might reveal and the band also lack an original sound. Still it's a relatively strong progressive metal release and hardcore fans of the genre might find it more enjoyable than I do, so a 3.5 star (70%) rating isn't all wrong.